Why SEO Is Important for Small Businesses

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. In simpler terms, SEO is just the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of website traffic through non-paid search engine results. Nobody wants to be on page two or three of Google, right?

Why Should I Care about Search Engine Optimization?

Focus on these bold words: non-paid. Right there. That's it. It's the single most important reason why small businesses need to start putting SEO at the top of their marketing priorities. It's going to save you money in the long run!

3 Things You Can Easily Start Doing

#1: Start with keyword research.

Start creating a running list of those words that you find yourself repeating when sharing your business. Focus on phrases, not single words. It will be a much faster process for you to rank higher by not going after a generic term.

Here's a quick example of keywords.

Short-tail keywords (generic keywords): Usually one or two words. They are very competitive and hard to rank for. Example: running shoes

Mid-tail keywords (more specific keywords): Usually two to three words that are slightly more descriptive than short-tail keywords. Example: best running shoes

Long-tail keywords (very specific keywords): longest search terms and very targeted to a specific topic or audience. Example: best running shoes for bad knees.

Free Tool to Try: Keyword Sheeter.

#2: Be mobile-friendly.

Have you looked at your website from a mobile device lately? You would not believe how many websites I see that aren't optimized for all devices.

Even if a theme or layout you are using for your site says they are responsive, don't blindly believe them. Sites that are mobile-friendly.

Free Tool to Try: mobiReady.

#3: Build up your off-website SEO.

SEO isn't just about the content on your website. It's about your business as a whole. Search engines are wanting everyone to spill the tea about you. They'll scour the web to see if there is other information on you.

The more quality links and sites there is that mention you, the more credible you are in the search engine's eyes. Which tells them to push them up in the search results.

Free Tool to Try: WebFX Off-Page SEO Checker.

Hopefully, I've convinced you to start putting SEO at the forefront. Or at the very least to keep learning more about it. If you learned something, make sure you?subscribe?to this newsletter. Want to rank higher (see what I did there?) in my world? Follow me on?Instagram?and/or?Twitter. Don't forget to say hello. I am actually one of those people who still enjoy connecting with others online.